Mill.



No. 687275, Patented Nov. 26; [90L A. B. SMITH.

MILL.

(Application filed Jan. 30, 1901.)

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet I.

s H II :1 H 1 j Ily H I; 'N

mummn yl m W I W'HI" l||,|. |l"'- MY/5| LN m M. J m

.712 if a UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

ASHLEY O. SMITH, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

MILL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 687,275, dated November 26, 1 9101.

A Application filed January 30, 19 01 Serial No. 45,297. (No model.)

- To all whom, it mcty'conccrn:

Be it known that I, ASHLEY 0. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook'and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mills, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to' improvements in that class of mills used for crushing and grinding corn in the'ear; and it Consists in certain peculiarities of the construction, novel arrangement, and operation of the various parts thereof, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth and specifically claimed.

The principal object of my invention is to provide a portable mill which shall be so constructed that it will first crushthe corn in the ear or while the grain is on the ebb and will then convey the crushed material to suitable burs for grinding the same, from whence the ground material may be automatically conveyed and passed through other burs for reducing the material to finer particles.

Another object of the invention is to so construct the mill that one set of said burs may be used for grinding small grain, so that when it is desired it may be mixed with the crushed corn and cobs without passing the smaller grain through the first set of burs.

A further object'of the invention is to provide a simple and efficent means for the adjustment of the burs with respect to one another.

Still another object is to so construct the burs that theywill be self-cleaning, thus preventing any of the crushedmaterial clinging to or clogging them at their peripheries.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be disclosed in the subjoined description and explanation.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to which my invention pertains to make and use the same, I will now proceed to describe it, referring to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l isa view in side elevation ofa mill embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof. Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view, taken on line 3 3 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows, and showing the crushing and grinding mechanism on an enlarged scale. Fig. is an enlarged cross-sectional View, taken on line 4. 4 of Fig. 3,1ooking in the direction indicated by the arrows; and Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a portion of one of the burs, showing it provided with a cleaning-finger.

Similar letters refer to like parts throughout the different views of the drawings.

A represents the main or supporting frame, which may be made of any suitable size, form, and material, and on which is horizontally journaled in suitable bearings a main or driving shaft l3 and an auxiliary shaft 0, which are parallel with one another. Around the shaft B is'a cylinder D,- which is provided in its upper portion with an opening d, with which communicates one end of an inclined hopper E, used for conveying the ears of corn or other material to be crushed and ground to the interior of the circular or cylindrical portion D, which surrounds a portion of the shaft B, to which power may be applied for operating the mill. One end of the cylinder D is provided with an external flange d, to

which is secured by means of bolts d or otherwise a bur F, which is serrated on its outer surface and has a central openingf, through which the crushed material may pass. Thebur F is preferably provided with an annular recessf on its outer surface for the reception and operation of the cleaning-fingers g, with which the rotatable bur G is provided. One end of the shaft B is screw-threaded and provided with a series of indentations or niches b, which are arranged spirally around the said screw-threaded portion, as is clearly shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings.

Mounted on the shaft 13 near its screwthreaded end is agear H, which is prevented from turning thereon by means of. a key or feather 71,, which also engages the hub of an overhanging pulley H, which is preferably provided with a balance-wheel H on the inner portion of its periphery. Located on the screw-threaded portion of the shaft B is a nut h, which is provided with a set-screw he to engage the depressions b in the shaft. Fixed on the shaft B within the cylinder Dis a sleeve D, which is provided with a number of teeth d arranged spirally around said sleeve, which are for the purpose 'ofcrushing the ears of corn and also for the purpose of conveying the crushed material to the burs at the open end of the cylinder. The sleeve D is preferably shrunk on the shaftB and has its end opposite that nearest the pulley H provided with a recess d to receive a tongue ICC or projection (Z on the collar D which is provided at proper points with spirally-formed blades which join or complement similarlyformed blades (1 on the sleeve D, thus forming screw-blades. By reference to Fig. 3 of the drawings it will be seen that the collar D is partially located within the cylinder-D and partly within the opening f of the bur F, which is fixed on the open end of the cylinder. Mounted on the shaft 13, adjacent to the serrated surface of the bur F, is another bur G, which carries one or more cleaners or fingers g, which may be made integral with said bur or secured thereto on its periphery by any suitable means. The cleaners or fingers 9 may be provided with serrations or teeth g to better engage the material which might collect between the outer portion of the bur F and the shell or casing G, which incloses both burs and which is provided with an opening in its lower portion for the passage of the ground material. The bur G is preferably secured by means of bolts 9 to a collar 9 which is provided with a set-screw g to adjustably secure it to the shaft B. Communicating with the openingin thelower portion of the shell G is a chute c, which is connected at its other end to the boot of the elevator-casing C of an elevator of the ordinary or well-known type, which casing and elevator is employed to carry the crushed and ground material to a hopper I, which is located above the shaft 0, on which is mounted a shell or casing L, within which casing are burs of the type just above described or of any other suitable construction, but which burs are formed with finer serrations and adjusted closer together than the first-named burs, so as to reduce the material to a finer powder or particles. The hopperI communicates through a chute Z with the upper portion of the shell or casing L, and the lower part of said casing is provided with a chute m, which communicates with the boot of an elevator-casing M, which is provided with elevators of the well-known type, and which casing and elevators convey the ground material through its upper end N to a bin or other suitable receptacle. (Not shown.) The elevators within the casings O and M are operated by means of chains or belts 12 passing over suitable sprocket-wheels n on the shaft 0 and suitable wheels n fast on the elevator-shafts, which are journaled at the upper ends of said casing. The gear H, which is driven by the main shaft B, meshes with agear H fixed on the shaft 0, and thus imparts motion to said shaft.

From the foregoing and by reference to the drawings it will be seen and readily understood that by placing a quantity of ears of corn in the inclined hopper or trough E the same will be conveyed to the cylinder D, where it will be crushed by reason of the rotation of the driving-shaft, to which power may be applied through the pulley H and by means of the teeth d on the sleeve D, mounted on said shaft. The teeth (1 being arranged spirally on said sleeve will force the crushed material toward the open end of the cylinder D, from whence it will be carried through the medium of the blades 61 and (Z to the cavity between the burs F and G, by means of which it will be ground. In thus grinding the material I have found that as it passes between the burs it sometimes collects at their peripheries and clogs or impedes the operation of the rotary bur. To prevent said clogging of the material, I provide the rotary bur with one or more cleaners or fingers g, which may be provided with the teeth g. (Shown in Fig. 5 of the draw in gs, as before stated.) The ground material passes from the shell or casing G to the boot of the elevator O and is then carried up and into the hopper I and from thence passes through the chute Z into the casing L, where it is more finely ground, after which it passes out into the boot of the elevator M and from thence is conveyed, by means of said elevator, to sacks, a bin, or other suitable receptacle. To adjust the bur G with respect to the bur F without removing the shell G, it is only necessary to loosen the set-screw k and turn the nut h on the screw-threaded portion of the main or driving shaft in the proper direction, so as to draw the bur G toward the bur F or to separate it therefrom.

It is evident that shelled corn or small corn may be placed in the hopper I and ground, by means of the burs on the shaft 0, without passing the same through the cylinder and other burs. It is further apparent that by mounting the various parts of the mill on one and the same main frame a complete machine in a compact and portable form is furnished.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination with a shaft suitably journaled and having a screw-threaded portion provided with a series of indentations arranged spirally around the same, a stationary bur around the shaft, another bur ad justably mounted on the shaft near the firstnamed bur,a nut engaging the screw-threads, and a set-screw to engage the depressions in the shaft and to fix the nut thereon, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a casing, a bur fixed therein and having a peripheral recess and a central opening, a shaft passing through the latter, and means for crushing the material and feeding it axially through said opening; of a rotatable bur fixed on the shaft within said casing, and at its periphery longitudinally-projecting cleaners or fingers provided with serrations extending into and traveling around within said recess of the fixed bur, substantially as described.

ASHLEY 0. SMITH.

Witnesses:

CHAS. C. TILLMAN, A. GUSTAFSON. 

